I Hate Cows...

Aurora's Sense of Style (Redux)

posted by Kelly at 4/22/2008 11:33:00 AM | 0 comment(s)

No dessert? How could it be!?

After dinner last night (panko encrusted chicken breast with rosemary olive oil potatoes and a nice red wine), we came to the horrific(!) realization that there was no dessert in the house.

Oh no!

Okay, I'm lying. We have copious amounts of both Easter and Halloween candy, but honestly, none of that thrills any of us. So, options were:

1. Do with out (I think not)
2. Go out an get something (we are WAY too lazy for that)
3. Raid the fridge and see what we can make (bingo!)




Our choice? Chocolate Cinnamon Gelato. Why? Gelato is one of the most delicious things ever, and you're almost guaranteed to have the ingredients on hand. Really just milk, sugar, cornstarch and a flavoring of some sort, we were able to whip this up with some bars of Hershey's chocolate (a birthday gift from Jamee and Michael to Rora) and a good dose of cinnamon.

It only took about an hour, and was a huge hit.

posted by Kelly at 4/22/2008 11:25:00 AM | 0 comment(s)

Another boring post of crap I did this weekend...

So, last week was one of the worst of my life. Really dreadful. But, I was expecting it, its over. so, whew. Anyway.

On Friday, Appa went to his first training lesson. Aurora had her camera, and took a few pictures- I like them a lot.









and Clio is still cute:



and Kevin is still weird:



Kevin and Michael went to Zabar's this weekend in NYC (they also went to a comic con, but that wasn't so important). Because of that, I have been feasting on bagels, whitefish salad, rugelach and various marinated seafood. I love my husband. Of course, he was told he couldn't come into the house unless bagels and whitefish accompanied him, so, there you have it.



What else? Well, I came home from shopping with my parents and lugged a full size mattress and box spring upstairs on my own, took apart her bunk bed, took that downstairs along with the twin mattress, then put the full bed together in her room. It took hours, but its done now, and Rora is really pleased. She spent a good part of yesterday pulling out her own comic books that she wanted to get signed. I'm growing a geek. Anyway, somehow her room appears larger now? Go figure.

Can't think of anything else...

posted by Kelly at 4/21/2008 02:27:00 PM | 0 comment(s)

Adventures in Childrearing...

Yesterday Kevin called me at work about something, and Calliope wrestled the phone from him. Thus ensued about 5 minutes of him cursing, various thuds, etc.

After he managed to get the phone back, we had the following conversation:

"Kev, she's only 6 months old."

"She's 7 months old! And she's wiry!"

Sigh.

Later that evening, Aurora got a card from her grandpop, which had a Ziggy sticker on the back. Aurora looked at her dad, then said, "Daddy, this sticker looks JUST LIKE YOU without a beard!"

Poor Kevin.

Hee hee.

posted by Kelly at 4/09/2008 08:40:00 AM | 0 comment(s)

Memories from college...

I went to theatre school initially, and there was a big to-do about Barbara Streisand possibly being cast as Evita... and I remember everyone singing this song:

(to the tune of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina')

It had to happen
The cast had to change
For how long can a girl do a show?
A year and a half and enough is enough
It wasn't easy
Even without matinees it got really rough
I'd go to the theatre just fine
But then I'd be worn out by nine
And what then of my future
And my career?
For although Broadway show offers are few
I can still do nightlubs and small movie roles
And when they film Evita
Oh, I will certainly keep myself free
Though, the chances are likely to be
They won't want to film it with me
Don't cry for me Barbra Streisand
The truth is I never liked you
You'll do the movie
And what a bummer
When you sing Eva
Like Donna Summer
How would you've liked it
In '68, if they'd filmed Funny Girl without you?
And MGM bought the film rights
And they'd wanted a star with no protrusion
So they rewrote the role
And cast...Doris Day!
You would have gone crazy and cried
But me, I'll just snicker and say
Don't cry for me Barbra Streisand
The truth is you bought the film rights
Though you're a belter, and very shrewish
You'll ruin the movie
Cause you're too Jewish
Have I said too much?
And you're to big a star to be lectured to
But all you have to do is look in a mirror
To know that every word is true

posted by Kelly at 4/04/2008 02:35:00 PM | 0 comment(s)

Agh! Busy!

Okay, so, an update.

Where to start...

Well, the item on the top of my mind is Aurora. Background is that the last report card period, she got all good marks, but also an "at risk" notice. To which my mind screamed "AT RISK? AT RISK?" for the two weeks I had to wait to meet with her teacher. This was so bad that I actually went to the school a week earlier than the appointment, sat there trying to figure out why I was the only one in the parking lot, swatted myself upside the head and left again.

Anyway.

The gist is that under Georgie's "No Child Left Behind", they have standardized tests (I know, I know- duh), even for the kindergarten set. Rora passed the math one, but was having trouble with the reading one. Apparently, when asked to point out a letter, instead of Just saying "C", she would say "C! C is for Calliope! Calliope is my sister, but we call her Clio. She cries a lot!", etc. Therefore, she wasn't passing this (timed) test. And so they keep testing her, telling her to HURRY!, which means that she started getting nervous about the test, since she knew she was doing something wrong, which makes her little shoulders bunch up about her ears and her stubborn streak rear up, which causes her to be recalcitrant about doing anything. So, her teacher and I talked, and she said Rora knows all the material, but until she passes this test, she is "At Risk", and maybe she will "never test well". And maybe she should go to summer school.

Sigh.

Summer school.

Certainly not the party the movie would have you believe. And at first, I was like, "she likes school, what could it hurt", but after talking to a few people who mention the stigma that can follow you forever (I had to move too often during school to have ANYTHING follow me), and really, she's 6, its summer, she should be having fun. I mean, when I was in kindergarten, I know I wasn't reading. Or adding. Especially not spontaneously like Rora does.

And really, if being in kindergarten 5 days a week, 8 hours a day doesn't do it, how will summer school help?

So, we are considering (very initial stages though) homeschooling her. This would be primarily a Kevin decision, as he would be home most of the time and do most of the teaching. But it is tempting. He is a GREAT teacher. And I don't want her to be left behind because of "No Child Left Behind".

In other news..

I was talking to my grandmother today, and was astounded to have a discussion with her in regards to sex, lesbianism, politics, Obama, Clinton, Roosevelt and of course, pineapple upside down cake. My G is pretty cool (and I think I convinced her to vote for Obama- yeah!).

And I am turning 36. Thirty-six. THIRTY-SIX. Somehow this seems a lot older than 35. I don't know why. Maybe I will need to start acting like a grown-up.

Nah.

To celebrate, we will be eating southern food, with angel food cake for me (better be homemade Ma!) and devil's food cake for Kevin (he'll be 38! Hah!), which WILL be homemade. And will take about 19 ounces of fine chocolate. Over a pound. Egad.

On the Appa front, he is a really good dog, though he does have an unusual liking for my yarn. And he licks himself clean, and has an unnatural fascination with the cat. Damn it, I think the dog is just an exceedingly ugly cat. Poor thing. We left him on his own for a while last night, and came home to the living room- with toys and shoes scattered all about it. But get this- none of them was chewed up. Apparently, he just took everything he fancied and put them in the living room to be with him. Weird.

We were out at the circus, which was fun. I have a lot of misgivings about a circus with animals, to be honest, but there's a nostalgic part of me that wanted Aurora to have that experience, so we went (and I can't afford Cirque du Soleil anyway). It was good- though different from what I remember as a kid. There was a storyline for one thing, and singing, which I thought was a bit weird. The best part though, as far as I'm concerned, was that for an hour beforehand they let kids and parents just wander the stage, and allowed them to meet the performers, try on costumes, practice tight-rope walking, see elephants up close, etc.

At the end, Aurora asked if we could go to the Circus every night.

Um, hell no.

posted by Kelly at 4/03/2008 06:35:00 PM | 2 comment(s)